Friday, April 30, 2010

This is a random mish mash of a post, but I didn't want to do multiple ones.

Serious stuff first:
Tomorrow Oscar and I are going on a march to the capital in protest against Arizona bill SB 1070, which makes it illegal to be in Arizona without proper paperwork. Or, if you will, it makes it illegal to be Mexican in Arizona. I think this bill is disgusting and racist and even though I do not live in Arizona I think it is important to fight it because this could be enacted in any state. I am against anyone being denied basic civil rights, whether it be about race or sex or sexual preference. Oscars parents are not originally from this country so this issue hits a personal note with him. However, this bill will not just target immigrants, but anyone that looks like one. I know that lots of cities are having protests this weekend so if it is something that you feel strongly about look for a march in your area. If you are in Colorado I will post the info below.

Last night I went dancing with Glen at the Mercury Cafe. Its the main place to go for swing dancing in Denver. It was a very casual night and we basically practiced some new Shag moves. I really want to get some video of us dancing but there needs to be someone there to hold the camera. Plus, the light at the Merc is really dim.

See? Super casual!!

The decor at the Mercury is really cool! This is the cafe part and the dance floor is upstairs. I want to steal all of the lamps they have!

The dance floor. Its pretty but bad for shooting video.

And finally, an outfit post:

This is what I wore to work today. It is a similar outfit that I've worn previously and did a post on but I've been so uninspired with my work wardrobe lately that I was happy to finally wear something cute!

The giveaway is still open so if you haven't entered you still have time. I will do the drawing on May 5, Cinco de Mayo! I've really loved reading everyones stories that go with their photos. I know that I'm making you work for it, but I love finding out more about my followers! I wanted to go ahead and post some of them here. I will post more later so if you've sent me an entry and arent in this post don't worry. I plan on posting all of them! And if any of you lovely bloggers would like to mention my giveaway on your blog please do. The more the merrier!! Also, if you have a blog and I don't link to it please send it to me so I can. Thanks!

Beatrice

Hi I am sending in a picture of me wearing one of my mum's dresses. I am guessing it's from the late 60s, maybe early 70s. It's a little red and white striped cotton dress. The reason I picked this picture/day of wearing vintage is 1. It's a dress my mom wore when she was about my age and it's still as beautiful as it was back then and the fact that it's her makes it extra special to me. 2. This is the most important reason, the picture was taken on my 1st wedding. My husband and I got married twice so to speak. We had a registry office wedding in the UK (he's English) which is where this picture was taken and then we had a blessing and proper big wedding in Germany a few months later (I'm German). This way we had the least hassle sorting out the legal side of getting married. I loved this small ceremony (just us and two friends as witnesses) and it was the beginning of our wonderful marriage.

This is one of the photos I took when I first was getting into photography..years ago. I had the idea of capturing a lost rural midwest girl ..trying to find her way to some sort of happiness..when I look at this photo it really hits me that I really did not have to act very much. nothing glamorous about this photo, that lost girl truly is me.

Hi Holly, Really enjoy reading your blog :)See attached my photo. This was taken at the Tutti Frutti 50s weekend (http://www.tutti-frutti-festival.com/) held last July in Morcambe, which is in the North West of England on the coast.This was a lovely evening, my victory rolls had gone right - first time! - and I was wearing one of my favorite 50s style dresses (From UK brand Collectif http://www.collectif.co.uk/). The thing that spoils the photo - the shoes!! In my wisdom, I had 'packed light' for the weekend but had forgotton my black heeled evening shoes! All the shops had shut and I had no choice but to wear my pink flats. Its the thing that everyone comments on - as Im known for 2 things; polka dots - nearly everything I own is spotty!, and matching. I ALWAYS match. But not on this occassion!! I kind of forgot about it after a few drinks anyway....It was a brilliant weekend and I cant wait to do it again this year - WITH the right shoes :)Take care, Clare

hiya!! thanks for the giveaway and here's a favorite pic of me and the hubby. I love this picture because we look happy and it's his birthday and it was a super weekend we spent at a B&B in town. we were headed out to a blues show for some dancing that night. I also love love love my squaw dress because it was just a perfect find and it fit and it's black and silver and it was just full of fun! Hope you enjoy it too!

So, this pic is of me in Las Vegas in one of my favorite dresses. It was my first time in Vegas and I was hitting all the tacky souvenir stores. Some drunk guy (it was like 2 in the afternoon) snapped this pic of me. That bear sure is handsome.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

This is an update to my previous post "Vintage Haunts". I never bid on the dress because I won the blue playsuit instead. I did however watch it to see what it ended at...

Final price $181.49. Holy crap! I think this dress is just not meant to be mine. Now I'm not afraid to spend money on an item that I really, really want.

Like this:

or this:

or this:

or this if it were real:

Can you see a trend here? I love items that have multiple pieces, Hawaiian prints, sarongs, and halters. When I find something that has all of that, or any one of them, I am very willing to spend money on it. Now that sundress is beautiful but I just wouldnt spend that much on it. The most I've spent on a vintage piece is $150.00 and those have all been Hawaiians. I have to really, really love something to spend that much. Even then I freak out a bit.

So there you go. Just thought I'd update you all. On a good note I got my blue playsuit in the mail today. Its devine! Hopefully I will be able to wear it soon. Its supposed to rain all weekend though :-(

I thought I would do a post about Oscars vintage wardrobe because its really good! Lots of Ricky jackets, flecked suits, gab shirts, and a LOT of Hawaiian shirts. He's not a casual, jeans and t shirt kind of guy. His usual outfit consists of slacks and a Hawaiian, or a 50s flecked suit and a Hawaiian. Its safe to say his style icon is more Montgomery Clift in 'From Here to Eternity' than Danny from 'Grease'. The last time we watched it he kept pointing out all the great Hawaiian shirts in the movie.

This movie is credited with really making the Hawaiian shirt popular (and for the famous line in 'The Godfather'. "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.") The rayon styles of the 30s and 40s were bright and colorful, with an array of beautiful prints. As the decades went by though the fabric turned into polyester and cotton the prints declined.

For vintage collectors an original Hawaiian shirt can cost a pretty penny. They are rare and a lot of times, as with most vintage, there are quality issues. So for a guy that loves these iconic shirts it can be really hard and pricey to add even a few to his wardrobe. The best option today is to buy Sun Surf.

Part of their 2009 collection. The 2010 collection should be out soon.

Sun Surf is a brand that makes reproduction Hawaiian shirts. These shirts are as close to the original as possible and are collectors items in their own right. They are the Whirling Turban of mens reproduction. Every shirt is an exact replica of an original, including Monty Clifts iconic shirts, using custom made rayon. The shirts are so close to the originals that its hard to tell the difference. Also, each style is only made one time, assuring a certain level of collectability. Once its gone, its gone.

Here are some of Oscars Sun Surfs:

Does this one look familiar? It should. Its a replica of Monty Clifts posted above.

And here are a few of his originals:

Oscar in his original long sleeved Hawaiian worn with a 50s black suit with red flecks. Sharp!!

This is just a glimpse into his collection. He makes fun of me every time I buy another Hawaiian dress but he's way worse than I am! At least our mutual styles mesh well together ;-)

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

I promised this quite some time ago but with traveling I just didnt have time to put anything together. Finally though I have found the time. This is just a way for me to say 'thank you' to all my followers. I enjoy blogging so much because of all the positive comments I get from people. It really does make my day!

I really enjoyed FabGabs contest because it allowed her followers to send in pictures of themselves. I loved seeing everyones take on vintage. So for this giveaway I want you to send me your favorite picture of yourself, wearing vintage or vintage inspired, with an explanation of why you love it so much. Maybe its because of the clothes you are wearing or maybe it was a very special day that you remember fondly.

For example, this is my favorite photo of myself in vintage:

Rockabilly Rave 08. I love this photo because it captured the funniest moment of the whole weekend. It was the last night and I literally tackled Patrick to steal Pengweezy away from him and we wound up on the floor laughing hysterically. This picture always makes me smile because that weekend started out really, really badly and all my friends went above and beyond to support me and make sure I was ok. It really meant the world to me and I'm so happy to have this photo so I can look at that weekend and smile. Its not my most glamorous moment but it was one of my most spontaneous and fun.

So there you go. Thats the basis of the giveaway.

And now for the rules: First, you must be a follower of my blog. Second, leave me a comment on this post saying you want to enter. Third, email me at Rockabillyholly@msn.com and include your favorite photo along with an explanation. (Keep in mind that I plan on posting some, if not all, of these entries on my blog. So if you arent comfortable with that than don't enter). You have until Wednesday May 5th. At that time I will choose a winner. I will do so randomly as I think thats the only fair way to do it. Then, I will mail you the goods!!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Remember how I said I didnt have yellow shoes to go with my new plaid dress? Well now I do. I love Payless because they have cute shoes at a very cheap price. Plus, they have that BOGO thing which is just one more reason to buy more shoes.

Pretty yellow cork wedges. Perfect for summer!

Black espadrilles which I needed badly. Mine are falling apart.

So there you go. Payless is awesome. The bad thing is now I have to find room for these in my closet.

Monday, April 26, 2010

I apologize for the lack of posts this last week. Truth be told I had a terrible weekend. I won't bore you with the details but I was in such a funk that I didn't do much of anything. I did go dancing on saturday and wore my yellow plaid dress I got at Viva, but I was so moody I didnt take a picture of it. I should have though because I love it much more now that I wore it. I had a great time dancing, I just didnt feel like smiling for the camera.

I am feeling much better today so I will try and get some posts together for this week. The weather has been miserable lately; cold and rainy and even snowing a bit. I hate it. I just want to hibernate on the couch when its like this. Its almost May and and I'm still wearing sweaters. I'm over it! I have a ton of sundresses just waiting to be worn so that I can take lovely outfit photos for you. Hopefully once summer does get here it will be a nice long one :-)

Thursday, April 22, 2010

It rained all last night and this morning but in true Denver style the sun is out now. This has got me thinking about all the summer goodies that are on my wish list. Spring and summer are my favorite time of year and my wardrobe showcases that. I have already switched over my closet, putting all my horrid sweaters into storage, which means I now have room to shop!! I don't, actually, but that never stopped me. There are a few key items that I'm hoping to add to my collection soon. Here are just a few of them:

Black Remix wedges $162.00. I am in desperate need of these! The black ones I do have are just not doing it for me anymore. And my dance ones are falling apart. Its time to upgrade.

Black high waisted shorts. I have every color under the sun but the black ones I have are a 22 inch waist and I can only wear them when I'm super, super skinny. Which I'm not anymore. Plus, I want a pair that I can wear comfortably. I love these from Tara Starlet, but after the conversion they are $85!! Thats a bit much to spend on shorts.

More playsuits!! I dont think I've stated enough how much I love playsuits. I absolutely adore them and this Rose Marie Reid playsuit is perfect! The color and print are so cute and I have a pair of espadrilles that would match it perfectly.

40s house/day dresses. I love how casual they can be for a day out shopping. You can throw your hair in braids and put on one of these and you're ready to go. Its easy without looking lazy.

50s sundresses. Just like the 40s dresses these are great for casual wear, but you can also dress them up for evening. I have a particular fondness of the halter styles. For as many as I currently own I always want to own more. I'm watching a few now on Ebay that are possibilities, it just depends on my wallet.

I guess these are more along the lines of playsuits, but my focus here are the cute cotton skirts. I already have a ton of them so maybe I dont need more, but I certainly wouldnt mind more. They do come in handy during the hot summer months. And may I just say that I would KILL for the set on the left!

Stuff to make Mojitos. The Mojito is MY drink! They make an excellent one at The Cruise Room and I drink it year round but I want to be able to make it at home the proper way. Yum!!!

The thing I want most though is a new apartment. Oscar and I are currently looking for one because we have simply outgrown our little 1 bedroom. I seriously need a second bedroom I can use as a closet. Plus, the place where he stores the Caddy is going to be sold so we need an apartment with a garage. My hope is that we can find a cute vintage place, maybe even a duplex with a yard. We shall see though.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Ever have a vintage item that seems to haunt you? Like you see it over and over and over again. And I dont mean like a certain style or print, but the same exact item?? Has there ever been one particular item that you've ran into repeatedly over the years?

For me, it is this dress:

I first saw this dress 10 years ago in a book I have about early 60s fashion. I love this dress. I think its beautiful and has that perfect silhouette indicative of that time. I also love that its technically a sundress, but the colors make it one that can be worn in the fall as well. I saw this dress on Ebay maybe a year later. I wanted it but it was too big at a 28 inch waist and I was tired of taking in all my dresses. Oh well. About a year later I saw it again on Ebay. Same size and everything. Odd. That was just the beginning though.

A couple years ago in Vegas my friend Teresah wore this exact dress. I remember thinking how odd it was that of all people she would own it because I've never actually seen it on another human being, even though by that time I'd seen it on Ebay at least 3 times. Now I dont know her measurements but I could see her fitting easily into a 28 inch waist. I didnt say anything to her though.

Maybe a year later I saw it AGAIN on Ebay. Same size. Funny. And low and behold while surfing Ebay today I see it again. Same size!!! I swear this dress is haunting me. I love it but at this point I dont think I could own it. Its just too weird. I have seen this dress come up on Ebay at least 6 times over the years. All with 28 inch waists. Is it the same dress?? I dont know. But it seems odd that this dress wouldve only come in that size.

Friday, April 16, 2010

So I thought I would post pics of the two dresses I got at Viva. The pictures arent great but...

This is a 50s plaid halter dress. Its really cute and I have a yellow cinch belt that I can wear with it. I have a close twin to this dress. Its red and pink plaid and I've worn it once. I need to wear it more because its a great summer dress.

Not sure of the age of this dress but it reminds me of a late 30s house dress. Its super cute on and I've already worn it twice.

I was sad at how little I bought at Viva and I didnt buy anything in Austin! We are going to an antique flea market this weekend so maybe I will find something there. I'm on the hunt for some more sundresses and skirts. Also a pair of black shorts. Spring is slowly pushing its way in (the proof is in my allergies) and I need to go through my closet and bring out the more summery stuff. I also to need to rehab my work wardrobe. Its very blah right now. My friend Emma and I are gonna hit the mall on tuesday. Forever 21 is having a huge sale right now and I like to shop there for work stuff.

I also bought a few things from Target.

I needed a cute pair of black flats. I have this horrible tendency to wear flip flops during the summer and Oscar threatened me with bodily harm if I attempt to do that again this year.

Target has some cute cardigans right now in tons of colors so if anyone is looking for some go there! They're only $15 too. I got the red one but now I want to go back and get the other colors too.

I also got this in yellow and blue. I love cardigans for work because they are light weight and cover my tattoos.

Well thats it right now. If I score anything at the flea market I will post pics. Oh, and Pachuca is doing much better. Her paws are healing, slowly, but she already tried to chase a squirrel the other day :-)

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

I wasnt going to go to Austin. Oscar had plans to go visit friends and some other friends of ours were driving there to go to the Lonestar Roundup, so he convinced me to go. It started out fine but if you've read my previous post you'll know that I didnt have much fun. I tried to make the best of it but in all honesty I didnt really like Austin. Maybe I'm biased because I blame Austin for losing my dog (in some sort of weird way) but I just wasnt really into it. Either way, here's some pictures from the weekend.

My attempt at a smile in front of Big Mike's wagon.

Vintage Chambray skirt

Red halter top

Vintage red wicker purse

Beer cozy

This is a bad picture of Oscar.

Big Mike, Chica, and Ian

More beer cozys.

Me with a giant great dane. And a beer cozy. They're required in Texas apparently.

This kids stroller even shot flames out of the pipes!

The car show was massive and about a million people went. The music was not very good though. Neither was the shopping (swap meet). It was hot and I was tired of being in the sun after intermittently crying all day so we left around 4 and everyone headed down to Congress for the cruise. The great thing about Austin is that the city is very accomodating for this event. People sat on lawn chairs by the side of the road drinking beer out of their coolers watching the cars cruise down Congress. As long as its in a cozy its all good!

Our friends didnt show up til pretty late for the cruise and we were beat. I think we were home by midnight after stopping off at Your Mom's Burger Bar for a snack.

The next day was a casual day spent hanging out with our friends Mari and Mark. They took us to a couple very interesting Austin bars and restaraunts.

This place offered Chicken Shit Bingo for $2. Its exactly what it sounds like. Everyone sat in the parking lot drinking beer they brought from home (in cozys). Does Austin not have liqour laws???

Afterwards we went to the Driskill Hotel where we saw this:

At least the cocktails don't require a cozy.

That evening I promptly got the flu and then flew home the next day along with the Harlem Globetrotters (I'm not joking). I was just so happy to be home with my dog. Austin is just not my scene and I didnt have fun at all. Of course I may be judging it unfairly due to unforeseen events. Maybe I should go back sometime and give it another chance. It has pretty areas, good food, and great night life. But I obviously do not have good luck there. I didnt even buy anything!! What a waste!

About Holly

I'm a vintage obsessed Rockabilly girl and proud of it!! I'm also a fully modern gal not interested in living in the past. I just prefer to incorporate the past into my present. I love makeup and anything girly. I dance lindy, jive and collegiate shag and listen to a wide variety of music. This is just a little glimpse into my life. http://www.facebook.com/temperamentalbroad